NUTRITIOUS & DELICIOUS

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

I am a fajita-lovin’ girl! I love, Love, LOVE them! That being said, I make them in all sorts of varieties; however, these ones are my very favorite (at least up until this point)! The marinade that is used here is downright delicious. I love how it all melds together in a way that was hard for me to even imagine until I tried it. That lime, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, cilantro, jalapeno, and garlic are so tasty! And, to boost the flavor, you put the reserved marinade on the veggies after you grill them which brilliantly brings all the flavors together in this fajita.

I have found great success in grilling these on our charcoal grill, as well as my indoor grill (George Foreman). Why do I know this???? Well, there’s no way I’m prepping the charcoal grill in the snowy winter and there’s also NO WAY I’m living through the winter without my favorite fajita. Thus…I found out very quickly that I can get similar results indoors! I have also found that if I use chicken tenders, then I do not need to butterfly any chicken breasts. This is a small time saver for me so that is usually what I tend to use most. I served these for a dinner party recently and they were a huge hit! You’ll have to let me know if this variation of fajita makes it to the top of your list too!

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade; set aside. Place the chicken breast halves (or tenders, if using) in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Lightly oil both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, prep your grill . . . charcoal, gas, or indoor. (We typically use a charcoal grill, so I’ll give step-by-step instructions on how to use it.) Using a large chimney starter, ignite 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes and burn until the coals are fully ignited, about 20 minutes. Empty the coals into the grill, spreading them in a single layer. Place an additional 20 unlit coals over the lit coals on one side of the grill to create a two-level fire. Place the grill grate over the coals and allow to heat for 5 minutes. Scrape the grate clean with a grill brush. (For a gas grill, light all burners to high, cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave one burner on high and turn the rest down to medium.)

Remove the chicken breast from the marinade and transfer to the hotter side of the grill; discard the left over marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it is well browned, 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it is no longer pink inside (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160˚ F.) Meanwhile, cook onions and peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed.* When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

In 2 or 3 batches, transfer the tortillas in a single layer to the now empty grill on the cooler side. Cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side. When the tortillas are done, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or foil. (Alternatively you can warm the tortillas according to package directions.)

Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl. Slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and add them to the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved unused marinade and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade in another bowl. Arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter with the warmed tortillas and serve.

Serves 8.

*Optional Cooking Tip for Veggies: I will occasionally send the chicken outside to the grill with my husband. While he is cooking the chicken, I grill the veggies indoors. I will heat my George Foreman grill. While it is heating up, I cut the onions & peppers into strips. I then lightly grease the grill with cooking spray and then throw the onions and peppers on the grill and cook until crisp-tender and slightly charred.